Page 37 of Two Risks I'd Never Take Again

“She is heartless.” I patted Garrett’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”

He forwarded the voicemail to Nico. “He can take care of it. Hot tub or roof top?”

If I couldn’t see that the phone call had stressed him, the question would’ve given it away.

“The roof. I’ll grab a blanket.”

“I’ll make popcorn.” He strode into the kitchen.

I hated seeing him upset, but it was clear why he was bothered. If I wanted to pluck out the woman’s eyelashes and shove staples under her fingernails—not that I would actually do those things—I could only imagine how Garrett felt.

Ten minutes later, he sat down next to me on the patio sofa. “What are we going to talk about?”

I tapped him to lean forward, then wrapped the blanket around both of us. “I want you to check with everyone at the ranch before I give a final yes, but if they are fine with it, I’ll take off a few days and spend Christmas out there. Technically, I could stay open and just drive out there after work, but I’m starting to like having days off.”

“Good. It’ll be fun. What about your parents?”

“I’ll run up and see them one evening. My mom has been hounding me about getting out and doing more, so she’ll be thrilled if I tell her that I’m going to spend Christmas with a friend. She’ll be extra excited to learn that friend is a guy.”

He laughed. “I think you’ll enjoy it. Ava makes so many desserts. You can help her, I bet. I mean... if you want to.”

I pulled a handful of popcorn out of the bowl. “Cooking and baking with Ava would be fun.”

“Eating what you make would be even more fun.” He ate some popcorn. “What are we going to do for fun without a rooftop patio and a hot tub? Well, we’ll still have access to a hot tub. Dad has one.”

“We might have to make use of that. We could watch movies. Take walks.”

“There are lots of beautiful spaces on the ranch. We can definitely walk. As far as movies... so far, I think you’ve stayed awake through only one. The one where they kissed at the end.”

I leaned into his shoulder. “That’s why I stayed awake. For the good stuff.”

He grinned as he grabbed another handful of popcorn. Then he grew serious. “I don’t think I want to continue being a private investigator.”

“I don’t blame you. It’s dangerous.” I didn’t want him to continue being a private investigator, but what right did I have to tell him that?

“I need to heal a bit more, but I think I’m going to tell Dad that I want to learn about ranching.” Garrett stared at the blanket.

I moved the popcorn bowl to the table, then shifted to face him. “I think that’s wonderful. You’ll make a great cowboy.”

“Right. I know nothing about cows or horses or where to buy hay.” He shot me a side glance. “This will be challenging.”

I brushed his cheek, careful not to press on his bruises. “You’re protective, honest, and kind. You have more integrity in your pinky finger than some men have in their entire body. That’s what will make you a good cowboy. A truck, jeans, and a hat help, but you already have jeans and a truck. And you’ll rock the hat.”

“How do you know so much about cowboys? Was Skeeter a cowboy?”

We hadn’t talked about Skeeter since that night up here on the roof.

“He had a truck and a hat, but no integrity.” I shivered when the wind blew.

Garrett put an arm around me. “Where is he now?”

“Around. He married and settled down in a small town near Stadtburg. His wife and kids come into the doughnut shop from time to time.”

“It must be hard seeing him.” Garrett’s tone was tender.

“It was for a while mostly because I was embarrassed and felt rejected. But realizing he wasn’t a prize helped squash those feelings. I don’t care about Skeeter. I haven’t for a long time.”

“You deserve a prize.”

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